There is a part of Transformation that is often overlooked when people begin to change their lives for the better and in profound ways. It is the physical realm. Your will never be the best you can be, the best you can become, if your physical house isn’t in order.
Completely transforming yourself and your life into the person you want to be, living the life you want to live, doing the kind of work you want to do is going to require some effort. Being physically fit will help you to accomplish the work that will be required to reach your goals. It isn’t absolutely necessary but it will make your transformation a whole lot easier and much more enjoyable.
To be more mentally fit you must become more physically fit. You might ask, what has one to do with the other? I have never seen a mentally fit patient that felt mentally sharp if they felt poorly in their body. Similarly, I have never seen a patient that was physically fit feel well in their body if they were suffering mentally.
That sense of well-being that we all seek is a balance between all four realms – the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual realms. Care for three and ignore the one and your life will be out of balance. The physical realm is the one most often ignored.
Obesity rates in the US are epidemic. Less than 2% of the population gets the cardiovascular exercise that is recommended. Too many people come to me wanting me to “fix” them with a pill when most of the time life style modifications are all that is required. Even modest walking programs can improve one’s health.
Instead, too many Americans get their meals handed to them through a drive-up window, never even to consider entering the restaurant on foot. I have seen cars at Walmart endlessly circling the parking lot in search of a parking space a few feet closer to the door rather than get out and walk.
I have non-handicapped patients come to my office every week for handicap placards to hang on their rear-view mirrors so they can park in the spaces reserved for the truly handicapped who never ask for those same placards. Almost all of those non-handicapped patients could, and should, leave their cars at home and walk to the mall.
Once, after finishing a run at a nearby lake front community, I saw a women walk out of her house, get in her car, drive to the end of a 100 foot long driveway, retrieve her mail form the mailbox and drive straight back to her house. I can here her now sitting the doctor’s office, “Doctor, I just don’t feel good and I don’t know why.”
Here is some free sage advice if you don’t feel good and you are overweight, eat poorly, don’t exercise, recline in the lazy boy to watch TV in the evening after dinner, and can’t hold out to do anything: lose weight, eat healthy, exercise regularly until you can hold out to do anything, burn your lazy boy, then your TV and feel better. It’s really not that complicated.
Trimming down, eating healthy, and regular exercise makes my patients feel great, like they can conquer the world! They have more energy, more stamina, and they are rarely sick.
Regular heart-pumping exercise gives you a sense of calm and well-being that you can not get from a pill. Exercise boosts the immune system, clears the mind, lifts the spirits, and alleviates depression and anxiety. In short, it enhances your other three realms. Improving your physical health will improve them without any additional effort.
If you are going to transform, then why not transform your physical status form unhealthy to healthy? It is never too late to start. Small changes add up and amplify over time.
If you have some health issues or are unsure of your health status then consult with your physician to see what kind of diet and exercise program is best and safest for you. If you already enjoy the best health you can have for your age then you are one step ahead to Transformation.
Ask yourself; am I as healthy as I can be? If not, what are some ways I can begin to adopt a healthier lifestyle?
Please return soon for the next installment in this series when I will discuss the spiritual aspect of transformation.